Creators

Betroth co-creates rings with emerging and established creatives across many disciplines. Having already defined new ways of engaging with the world in their respective fields, each collaborator works with us to transform their unique ethos into powerful works of jewelry.

Derrick Cruz is a Brooklyn born designer currently influenced by the intersection of storytelling, craftsmanship, and technology as materialized in the applied arts. He is the founder of Betroth, Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons and the influential collective known as Occulter. Cruz is the recipient of several international honors and has been featured at The New York Museum of Art and Design, The Santa Monica Museum of Art among others. His work has been published in Time Magazine, The New York Times, Interview, GQ, Purple, Rolling Stone, et al. Cruz currently works in Manhattan and is a faculty member at Parson’s New School for Design. www.derrickcruz.com

Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch founded Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors in New York City in 2002. Having worked together for a decade designing sets for significant Hollywood films prior to establishing their firm, Standefer and Alesch have forged an ability to create projects without boundaries or borders, employing a range of ideas, materials, objects, and references — from the unexpected to the pedigreed to the mundane — and, through the lens of their own singular viewpoint, create alchemy. Never limited by what they designed last, the Roman and Williams aesthetic is constantly evolving, reflecting the diverse interests and profound curiosities of the firm’s principals, a practice that has earned them many devoted followers and accolades, including being honorees of the Architectural Digest Top 100 since 2011. The result is an oeuvre of instant classics — projects that transcend architecture and interiors and rise to the level of cultural polemics. www.romanandwilliams.com

Alexandre Plokhov was born in Narofominsk in the former Soviet Union. Before turning to fashion design, he was trained to be an interpreter and served in the Strategic Missile Forces. The career switch to fashion was accompanied by the permanent move to the U.S. In the mid-1990s, Plokhov worked first as a custom tailor and then as a pattern maker for Marc Jacobs before founding Cloak, the New York-based menswear label, in 1999. During its seven-year history, Cloak garnered significant retail and editorial following. In March 2007, Plokhov was hired as the head designer for Gianni Versace Uomo. After six seasons in Milan, he launched his eponymous line for fall 2011. Plokhov is also currently the menswear design director for Helmut Lang. www.alexandre-plokhov.com

Whether he's designing large-scale murals for the Ace Hotel, or limited edition backpacks for Eastpak, Kenzo Minami links all of his endeavors with a sense of structured, internal logic. Tying creative versatility with a dedicated vision allows Kenzo to grow and expand while nurturing a signature aesthetic. Intention is key: Kenzo develops a unique formula for each project, but he is never afraid to veer from it to follow his instincts.

Getting his start in TV production, Kenzo took an intensive day job to cover his rent and gain experience. After a full day of work, Kenzo put his ambition to use and spent nights in the empty studio working on personal projects.

One such project was a sticker he designed to quality test a printer. A "test" that was so strong it wound up in the hands of a Nike executive and landed Kenzo his first commissioned mural. Soon, he was making his own line of t-shirts, while still being asked to front special projects for high-profile brands like Reebok and Microsoft. It was not long until a Dunny he designed for Kidrobot found its home in the permanent collection in MoMA's Architecture and Design collection. www.kenzominami.com